Settings Shure M95ED cart on Pioneer PL-A45D TT

[marini]

Hi all,

I've seen similar questions on this forum but none are strictly related to my current setup.

I have a Pionner PL-A45D running a Shure M75ED Type 2 cart for years now. Everything sounding as good as I would expect (the stylus is an Analogis nude elliptical).

More recently I came across a Shure M95ED cart and thought... That certainly looks to be a good upgrade!
I went on and got a new stylus for it. Again an Analogis nude elliptical. I know there are better ones around, as I had a Jico on my previous cart for a while, but I can't really afford to spend more money at the moment.

I followed both Pioneer and Shure instructions when setting the overhang, tracking force (1.3g) and anti-skating but I'm very disappointed with the sound quality.
With the stylus that came with the cart - a Tonar 638-DE - I got a slighlty better sound, but still not quite there. I mean, compared to the sound I got with the M75ED-II.

I got a distorted sound at some parts of the playback. Sometimes at the very beginning, but mostly half-way the end. It's very similar to when you play a dirty record and stuff gets accumulated on the stylus.

Am I setting anything wrong here? Should I change the tracking force to a lighter/heavier value?

Thank you!

Emerson

 

[Hugo65]

Based on all I've read about the Analogis styli, I'd try 1.5 grams and give it time to burn in (30 to 50 hours of play). That's the VTF indication I saw on an EVG black diamond's box. An M95 is certainly an upgrade compared to the M75, specially in the higher frequencies, at which the M95 is more revealing. BTW the M95 is my overall favorite cart.

 

[marini]

Based on all I've read about the Analogis styli, I'd try 1.5 grams and give it time to burn in (30 to 50 hours of play). That's the VTF indication I saw on an EVG black diamond's box. An M95 is certainly an upgrade compared to the M75, specially in the higher frequencies, at which the M95 is more revealing. BTW the M95 is my overall favorite cart.

In our own language...

Obrigado pela resposta. Vou ajustar o valor e dar um tempo pra ver se melhora o som.

Thanks for your reply. I'm gonna give the new setting a go and see whether I get better results.

 

[CrSens]

Long time M95ED user here....in my opinion without the original stylus you haven't heard the cartridge yet. Fot this one NOS is not that hard to get, and it is not too expensive (often less than $100 on ebay). Most aftermarkets cheaper than $100 that I tried were pretty bad, and not worth it.

 

[marini]

Long time M95ED user here....in my opinion without the original stylus you haven't heard the cartridge yet. Fot this one NOS is not that hard to get, and it is not too expensive (often less than $100 on ebay). Most aftermarkets cheaper than $100 that I tried were pretty bad, and not worth it.

I haven’t come across any, but I’m based in the UK. That might be why.

 

[CrSens]

I haven’t come across any, but I’m based in the UK. That might be why.

In that case you have to try higher tracking force, most will not track sibilants and inner grooves acceptably until 1.8-2 grams. There might be exceptions of course, I did not try them all. If it can't track at 2 grams, forget about it and move to another one.

 

[marini]

In that case you have to try higher tracking force, most will not track sibilants and inner grooves acceptably until 1.8-2 grams. There might be exceptions of course, I did not try them all. If it can't track at 2 grams, forget about it and move to another one.

I’m gonna try that. Maybe start with 1.5g like suggested before. Thanks!

 

[Hugo65]

In our own language...

Obrigado pela resposta. Vou ajustar o valor e dar um tempo pra ver se melhora o som.

Thanks for your reply. I'm gonna give the new setting a go and see whether I get better results.

Opa! Se precisar de alguma dica sobre a M95, estamos aí. Abraço e que dê resultado.

 

[marini]

So... long time (other commitments).

I got to a point where I'm so frustrated with the difficulty in setting up this cartridge that I went back to the old one.
It's not like it never works. It works on some records and not on others. And I can't realistically be re-configuring the turntable every time I play a new record.

What I've tried:

1. Using a proper scale I tried anything between 1.5-2g for the TF
2. At every change above, I double-checked the anti-skating using a "blank record"
3. Double-checked the overhang (49mm)
4. Tried a mix of old and new records (always clean)

The tracking issue affects either channel. It's not always the same. It can happen on any point of the playback (beginning, middle, end). It's really frustrating!

 

[malden]

Am I setting anything wrong here?

setting up a phono cartridge in a turntable like your Pioneer is very easy. I suspect the low-end stylus you have is the root cause of the poor sound you are experiencing.

A well made stylus is a good investment, a poorly made one is throwing money away.

N-95ED NUDE

#n95ed #n 95 ed #n-95 ed #N95ED #N 95 ED

www.jico-stylus.com

 

[C Hart]

^^That stylus is excellent for this cartridge. The M95 is my favorite vintage cartridge also.

 

[marini]

setting up a phono cartridge in a turntable like your Pioneer is very easy. I suspect the low-end stylus you have is the root cause of the poor sound you are experiencing.

A well made stylus is a good investment, a poorly made one is throwing money away.

N-95ED NUDE

#n95ed #n 95 ed #n-95 ed #N95ED #N 95 ED

www.jico-stylus.com

I got this JICO one in my shopping basket (on their website) and was thinking about it. It’s just quite some money to risk.
I mean, you get what you pay for, definitely, but if the problem lies elsewhere…

 

[marini]

I decided to take a calculated risk (purchasing a stylus via Amazon - free, no hassle returns) and got an original JICO 192-95HE - the equivalent to the Shure N-95HE.
It’s not really the same as the nude elliptical, but I assume the hyper elliptical is a step up?
I come back with the results when the stylus arrives. It’s coming from the US.

 

[malden]

I got this JICO one in my shopping basket (on their website) and was thinking about it. It’s just quite some money to risk.

What is the risk? Needles don't last forever so you will have a replacement on hand.

I mean, you get what you pay for, definitely, but if the problem lies elsewhere…

Yes, you definitely get what you pay for and if the problem lies elsewhere then using a fresh, high quality stylus will confirm it.

 

[marini]

The stylus arrived today and it was totally worth it the money. It’s like until now I have been listening to my records with cotton buds stuck into my ears!
Not to mention it’s tracking perfectly at 0.8g.

I’m so happy!!!

 

[Hugo65]

The stylus arrived today and it was totally worth it the money. It’s like until now I have been listening to my records with cotton buds stuck into my ears!
Not to mention it’s tracking perfectly at 0.8g.

I’m so happy!!!

Fala, marini!
Já usei uma dessas e gostei muito!
Set it @ 1.1g and enjoy life! Tracking that light may not be good for the stylus, nor the record. Cheers!

 

[charles 1973]

I put a Shure M95ED cartridge on the Realistic LAB 300 Turntable a couple years after I bought new in 1977. IMO one of the best value cartridges of its day. It tracked like a champ and produced an almost perfectly balanced sound. The LAB 300 came with a good Shure cartridge too. Today Nagoaka takes the best value honor for me with their MP110. I put their MP11 (predecessor to the 110) on a vintage Pioneer belt drive table and was very pleased with it. It makes the low end Pioneer table sound WAY better then it has any right to.

Back in the day, Even Pioneer's entry level turntables would never be an embarrassment. While we can buy some fine new entry level tables today for under $500, we should do a little research first to be sure we get one of them.

 

[marini]

My whole setup (apart from an Internet/Network/DAB radio by Majority) is made of 60s-90s Pioneer components.

 

[marini]

It looks like I spoke too soon. I'm at a lost really. So, the current settings work on some records but not on others. It doesn't matter if the records are brand new or quite old.
Just this last weekend I played with no problems 2 records and when I started playing a third one the distortion was there. Tracks at the beginning of the record, in the middle of it, at the end, it doesn't really have a pattern.
How can one say when to increase or decrease the force (weight) applied? The distortion is like the sound is about to be cut out (and sometimes it actually does for a fraction of a second).
If I can't really find a way around this unfortunately I'll need to let my beloved TT, companion of nearly 15 years, go. I just want to enjoy my records.

 

[revox-b77]

How dirty is your stylus? Might be severe crud buildup.